Targets

Certain hotels become not only places to stay but monuments. They enter civic lore. Luxury properties project glamour and have stories to tell. The Plaza, the Waldorf, Raffles, the Ritz, and their like are visited by travelers who could not or would not stay there. Locals patronize hometown hotels for food and drink, and for parties and conferences. Vicki Baum's Grand Hotel captured the scene and the sensibility. The movie version starred Garbo.

Last week terrorists struck upscale hotels in Jakarta. Previous attacks against starred hotels had occurred in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India. The carnage in Mumbai included bloodshed not just at the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel but at a Jewish center.

In a Wall Street Journal column, Sadanand Dhune explained that the hotel bombings are not coincidental. Terrorists target hotels because the institutions represent everything Islamists abominate. They ooze prosperity. Men and women mingle in lobbies, at the bar, and by the pool. Individuals from West and East (or Middle East) meet as partners, competitors, and perhaps as friends. Those who would translate jihad into war physical and perpetual cannot abide this. That the attacks damage the lucrative tourism industry comes as a plus.

Expect more.